south hinksey echo - wordpress.com€¦ · my brother tony and i went to school in north hinksey...
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Local events Litter Picking
The great Litter pick took place on 13th
April. The sun shone for the first time in months and
pickers were out in unprecedented numbers. It was surprisingly enjoyable to be out in the
fresh air ferreting around in the undergrowth or simply spearing litter from the gutter.
Many thanks to Liz LeFevre and Maggie Rawcliffe for organising things so efficiently. The
largest items were lost road signs, retrieved from the bottom of the slope.
“Pop Up” Restaurant in Village Hall The “pop-up” now has a name- it’s the South Hinksey Supper Club- and has had two
sessions so far. The first was a delicious menu with choice of dishes; the second was mezze,
a popular choice and, for some, a new experience. We are all looking forward to the next
meeting.
SOUTH HINKSEY ECHO
Volume 13, number 2 May 2013
www.southhinksey.org
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Parish Church of St Laurence South Hinksey
Sunday Services have changed!
There is now no longer a service every week. The pattern is usually the first and third
Sundays of the month at 9.15am with other services in the summer months.
6 monthly Calendar
Sunday 5th
May 6th
of Easter Morning Prayer at 9.15am
Sunday 19th
May Pentecost Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 2nd
June Corpus Christi Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 16th
June Trinity 3 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 30th
June SS Peter & P Tea from 4.00pm
Evensong at 5.00pm
Sunday 7th
July Trinity 6 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 21st
July Trinity 8 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 28th
July Trinity 9 Tea from 4.00pm
Evensong at 5.00pm
Sunday 4th
August St Laurence Eucharist at 11.00am
Sunday 18th
August Trinity 12 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 25th
August Trinity 13 Tea from 4.00pm
Evensong at 5.00pm
Sunday 1st
Sept Trinity 14 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 15th
Sept Trinity 16 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 29th
Sept Harvest Tea from 4.00pm
Evensong at 5.00pm
Sunday 6th
October Trinity 19 Eucharist at 9.15am
Sunday 20th
October Trinity 21 Eucharist at 9.15am
Contact – 01865 245879 or www.acny.org.uk/468
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Village Hall
The Village Hall is in good fettle, thanks to the team of people who work so hard to keep it
that way. All are outstanding in their commitment and the quality of what they do. In
particular: Ann Allsworth, Linda Bloch, Kevin Duma, Cham Pun, Maggie Rawcliffe, Phil
Saugman and Linda Slater.
The budget established some time ago has worked. There is no need to increase fees, which
remain, therefore, at £11ph for parishioners and charity fundraising, others £15ph. These
are competitive with other halls in the area. We are flexible and offer reduced rates for
regular users (who are very important to us).
Our online presence, largely found via Google, has helped us to secure bookings from
outside the parish, which in turn has made a big difference to our financial viability. The
hall’s pages on the new village website (thanks to David Rawcliffe for hosting this) provide an
introduction to the hall. But moving from an enquiry to a booking depends on interaction
with the team, what the hall offers and providing value for money. Word-of-mouth
recommendations and repeat bookings, which are common, depend of course on these too.
Success depends on everybody I have mentioned – ensuring sound finances, an attractive
and well-maintained hall, a friendly welcome from those on the front line. A big thank you to
all the team who, week after week, make this happen. Peter Rawcliffe, Chair
South Hinksey Parish Council
The Council held its Annual Parish Meeting on 13th
May
Councillors
Sandra Bingham resigned earlier in the year.
New councillors Christine Chater and Matthew Frohn were appointed.
Bob Johnston was elected as County Councillor for the Kennington & Radley ward.
The main points in the report were:
A34 noise and safety issues; replacement railway footbridge; community woodland; foot
paths and stiles; Devil's Backbone; Manor Road ditch; community emergency plan; Hinksey
Hill traffic.
Details can be found on the website: southhinksey.org
Finance
The Council received a clean bill-of-health from both the internal and external auditors at
the last audit. Due to a build up of reserves, Council has been able to reduce the precept by
over 50% to £4020 for 2012/13, and with reduced overheads and greater than expected
income, was able to end the year £2,600 ahead of projections. The precept for the 2013/14
has been set at £7045.
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Thanks
The Council wishes to thank the following people:
Peter Rawcliffe for campaigning and work on flooding and railway bridge.
Diego Vargas and all those involved in the railway bridge campaign.
David Rawcliffe and Linda Slater for their work maintaining the website and ShInfo
respectively.
Riki Therivel for her help with the community woodland.
Adrian Porter for community emergency plan and Thames Water / sewage.
I would like to thank my fellow Councillors for their hard work and enthusiasm. I know they
would join me in thanking our Clerk, Sheridan Edward, for all his excellent work. Maggie Rawcliffe; Chair, South Hinksey Parish Council
Community Woodland
The Parish Council has worked with Professor Riki Therivel from Oxford Brookes University
on the long-term maintenance and development of the community woodland. Paths are
being created through the woodland and a bench has been installed in memory of Clive
Briffett. The woodland continues to be funded entirely from grants from the Trust for
Oxfordshire’s Environment and the Forestry Commission.
River Flooding
Work on the last serious pinch point in north Kennington, Munday's Bridge is well underway.
It is anticipated that this will be finished by the end of the summer.
Plan of Munday’s Bridge May 2013.
The channel is Hinksey Drain. South Hinksey is upstream of this bridge, on this side. The
work will allow floodwater to get away more quickly. Peter Rawcliffe Tel: 735288
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Wildflowers in the Burial Ground
The wildflowers are steadily increasing, many have now settled in well, spreading and
forming larger clumps. In flower today (apart from the usual suspects) are cowslips (just
going over), meadow saxifrage, red campion and cuckoo flower. It’s looking good for the
summer with lots to come, including bird’s foot trefoil and lady’s bedstraw, ox-eye daisies,
some common spotted orchids if we’re lucky - and one plant each of great burnet and
common St John’s wort! You may need to wander round to see these; they’re not all
obvious from the road. Wild marjoram and more St John’s wort will go in later.
Meadow saxifrage, May 2013
News From Kennington Health Centre
We have a fantastic new website with lots of information and online links – please give it a
go – www.kenningtonhealthcentre.co.uk
You will have seen a lot of media coverage about the recent measles outbreak and the
government’s drive to provide catch up vaccinations for children who did not have the MMR
many years ago. We are currently looking at our records to try and establish who may have
missed out on this vaccination. Please contact us if you have any concerns about your
child’s status or wish to take up the vaccination under the catch up program.
We are sorry that there is still a long wait to see a GP. Please be assured we are looking at
ways we can reduce the wait time but we are currently experiencing high demand for our
limited resources. Telephone appointments are the most effective way to get quick access
to a GP and will help us to keep face- to- face appointments available for those who have a
clinical need for them.
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We would like to see if we can make more use of a variety of tools that are available
through e-mail and mobile phones. Such things as reminders by text, or information
updates by e-mail could all help to make our services more efficient for you. In order for
this to be a success we need to ensure that we have a high percentage of patients’ e-mail
addresses and mobile numbers in our system. Over the next few months we will be asking
patients if they will provide these details. You do not have to provide such information but
by doing so you will give us the opportunity to provide you with more efficient services.
When you are next in take a moment to check if your details are correct and update
incorrect or add missing information.
Historical Hinksey
Pat Hall describes life in South Hinksey in the late 1940s and 50s
My brother Tony and I went to school in North Hinksey and have many happy memories of
the time we spent there. It was only a small building consisting of two classrooms, one for
infants and the other for juniors.
My teacher, Miss Butler, was very strict and would set us work then spend most of her time
knitting -yes, knitting – ankle-length dresses which she always wore every day, albeit in
different colours. Not long after I started school she once split my knuckles open by
whacking them with the edge of a ruler because I had written a couple of alphabet letters the
wrong way round. I was only five. My dad was furious and gave her a good telling off!
I didn't fare much better in the juniors either. The teacher /headmistress, Mrs. Cudmore, was
a bit of a tyrant, feared by all the children. She kept a weekly book with the names of
everyone who had displeased her in some way and every Friday afternoon she would mete
out the punishment. It was quite barbaric by today’s standards. She would make the children
stand alongside each other with hands outstretched and palms facing up. Then with just one
hard swish of a very long bamboo cane -and one was enough I assure you - the punishment
was completed. For some unaccountable reason I once found myself in this sinful situation
and was very confused because I was gradually nudged further and further down the line by
my so called friends until I was stood at the far end. I soon found out why! I can still
remember the shock and pain as the thin end of the cane snapped down on my hands. The
wheals lasted for days and my mother had to take me to the doctor because of the swelling,
and my dad had another reason to visit the school! Thank goodness such abuse is no longer
tolerated in the classroom.
But most of the time we were happy there, and we loved the school dinners. The food arrived
by van every day enclosed in silver metal containers, and although it wasn't as hot as it could
have been having come all the way from Wantage, it always provided a tasty, nourishing, and
well balanced meal for us all. Especially good were the steam puddings with lashings of
custard. Sometimes we would have a selection of jellies all enclosed in the same container,
and if the journey had proved a little bumpier than usual it would end up as a disgusting
purple gloop! Yuk!
We were provided with a third of a pint of milk every day during the morning break and in
the winter the milk would freeze in the glass bottles outside so every morning the crates were
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bought in and placed by the large open fire. There was always a mad scramble to reach the
ones which had thawed out otherwise it was like trying to drink a milk-flavoured ice lolly.
Nearby stood the lovely old church, and at Christmas all the pupils would walk hand in
hand to enjoy the carol service there.
Just behind the school and up a short drive flanked by sweet smelling laurel bushes, stood the
vicarage, and in the summer Mrs. Cudmore, whose house adjoined the school, and who was
the only one for miles around who possessed a refrigerator, often provided a plate of ice
cubes for the vicar and his family. It was regarded an honour by the pupils to be asked to
deliver them, but the 'chosen one' was wise to ask for company to keep them and the ice
cubes safe, otherwise there was a strong chance that an infant mugger would be lying in wait!
There were one or two occasions when the vicar complained about the small amount of ice
cubes that had eventually arrived, probably due to the fact that the 'chosen one' was also
partial to some cool refreshment on a hot day, but this crime was quickly nipped in the bud
by Mrs Cudmore and her cane. It was just too high a price to pay!
My mother once told me that many years ago there was a small school in South Hinksey in a
cottage near John Piers lane. If you have a local historian in the village it would be interesting
to find out if this were true.
Sustainability in South Hinksey
An open letter from Alex Markham
Spring has more-or-less sprung in South Hinksey, and with it a lot of faces
have re-emerged from the winter hibernation – not just the field mouse, or
the hedgehog, but whole families of Hinkseyites can be spotted cycling to
the Fishes, or playing on Manor Road.
I've had the chance to chat with some of them over the past few weeks,
and a topic which has caught a few people's imaginations is sustainability.
It's a big word, and a political one, and I know it can put people off as well as interest
people. Hold that thought for a few moments if you don't mind, because I'd like the chance
to share with you what it means to me.
I have lived in South Hinksey on and off for just over 20 years with my Mum, Anne, and Dad,
Dave (lovingly referred to as 'Dog' by the Saugmans). I studied Biology at university, and
then did a Masters in the environment. One message I took from my studies is that the most
effective changes often start from the grass roots level, with the way ordinary people like us
think about our environment.
But in the course of my work as an environmentalist, I have found that changing the way
people think is a lot harder than it seems. In fact I've continuously hit a bit of an ethical
dilemma – because the environment is not mine, or yours, but everybody's, so it's hard to
defend one person's arguments over another's. It's not an easy topic because even the word
environment means different things to different people. When it's talked about in the media
there's often a lot of proselytising, and a lot of guilt-tripping. I've thrown up my hands at
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times when it's seemed as though there are too many interested parties, there's too much
to do, or too many different views about how to do it. It can feel like the whole thing is
another way of pressuring people into conforming to values which are not their own.
I’ve wrestled with these thoughts, and haven't found a clear answer, but I have started to
experiment with a new idea about what the environment means to me. Of course it means
the ice caps, and the rain forests, but perhaps it's most important meaning is just the space
around us – the village, the fields, the flora and fauna, the dogs and cats, and most of all the
people. In my chats with my neighbours I've sensed an emerging desire to help South
Hinksey become not just sustainable, but self-sustaining. That doesn't just mean popping up
a few solar panels. It means deepening the sense of community, and working with each
other to raise the proverbial barn. In that sense it's not such a radical idea, it's just been
given a new name.
Perhaps it's most important to mention what sustainability in South Hinksey should not be
about. It shouldn't be about eco-guilt, or pressuring people into anything. All organisms
have an impact on their surroundings, and humans are no different. In fact, South Hinksey is
already ahead of the game in some respects. But if you want to be involved, if you like the
idea of sharing your resources, and your wisdom, then perhaps we can work together to re-
integrate ourselves into the natural cycles of things, and in doing so take a step back from a
dependence on the large, towards drawing nourishment from the local.
Some suggestions that are already being thrown around are introducing a village free-cycle,
where people can offer up stuff they no longer need to any willing takers; a food co-op to
enable people to buy high quality, low cost dry goods without needing to leave the village; a
community growing project; vegetable growing and wood-working workshops, and cider
pressing (guess who's idea that was...). There's also talk of looking into different green
energy options and sharing that information amongst the community.
The next natural step seems to be to organise a meet-up to pool our ideas, and see who's
interested and what they'd like to contribute. I know of about 6 to 8 people who've shown
an interest in meeting. We haven't yet organised a date or location, but I expect it'll be
some point in the next few weeks. If you are interested in the topic, and would like to be
kept in the loop, the best bet would be to drop me an email, so I can make sure you're
included in any round robin discussions going forward. My email is
[email protected]. I look forward to chatting with you.
The Sloppy Gardener
Things are improving. We’ve been growing a lot of small plug plants on various window
ledges and are about to plant them out. Giant dahlias, which Jo grows from seed, will fill up
a lot of empty spaces without taking a lot of looking after.
Can anyone tell us how to stop birds (or squirrels?) gouging great holes in the lawn?
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A Long Walk
19-year-old Robbie Brough, from the village, is at this moment
somewhere between Lands End and John O’ Groats. He and his
friend David Sansom set off on 1st May on a 10-week hike to
raise funds for Emmaus Oxford which is an innovative homeless
charity. They have already raised £4,000 and they have an offer
from an anonymous donor to double any sponsorship up to
£7,000. Conditions were ideal as they strode through Cornwall,
but they encountered wind and rain in Devon. They are
sleeping in a tent so it is extra tough when the rain is relentless.
Four weeks on, and they are setting off into the Peak District.
By the time they finish they will have covered 1286 miles.
Student life should be easy by comparison: Robbie is going to
Manchester to study Philosophy and Maths in September.
David hopes to go to Sandhurst next year.
(If you would like to contribute, the link to the fund raising website is
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/tradingplaces
Forthcoming Events
Saturday 15th
June 7.30pm
in collaboration with
Music for Autism: Concert featuring autistic performers with Derek Paravicini
Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxon.
Sunday 1st
September: Annual cricket match against North Hinksey.
Sunday 15th
September: South Hinksey Fete.
Become a Host Family for an International Student
Do you have a spare room in your house?
It doesn’t matter what age you are
The advantages to hosting are:
• Providing a “home away from home” during their school breaks
• Companionship and friendship
• Good daily payment including mileage and expenses
• Understanding new cultures
• Assisting international students during their studies in the UK
To enquire about becomi
Email:[email protected]
Join the Sobell House
Hospice Charity at their
annual
Oxford Moonlight
Stroll
13th
July 2013
10:30pm A nine-mile night-time
sponsored walk through the
streets of Oxford with all
proceeds going to the
Sobell House Hospice,
caring for people
throughout Oxfordshire
affected by terminal illness
sign up at www.oxfordmoonlight
stroll .org or call 01865 857
007
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Miscellany
Become a Host Family for an International Student
Do you have a spare room in your house?
sn’t matter what age you are – why not register with us as a host family?
The advantages to hosting are:
Providing a “home away from home” during their school breaks
Companionship and friendship
Good daily payment including mileage and expenses
Understanding new cultures
Assisting international students during their studies in the UK.
To enquire about becoming a host family, contact us at: Tel (+44) 1684 252 757
Email:[email protected] Pippa’s Guardians Accredited member of AEGIS
Join the Sobell House
Hospice Charity at their
Oxford Moonlight
July 2013
time
sponsored walk through the
streets of Oxford with all
proceeds going to the
Sobell House Hospice,
throughout Oxfordshire
affected by terminal illness
www.oxfordmoonlight
or call 01865 857
Copies of the South Hinksey Echo
Our aim is to reach every household he
Parish of South Hinksey. Most people
now receive their copies by email. We
are happy to deliver printed copies to
people who don’t have a computer.
However, we don’t always know who
they are. If you know someone who
needs a printed copy, do let us know.
Equally, if you know of any
who are not on the mailing list, please
ask them to send an email to add them
to the list. The address
hy not register with us as a host family?
ng a host family, contact us at: Tel (+44) 1684 252 757
Accredited member of AEGIS
Copies of the South Hinksey Echo
Our aim is to reach every household he
Parish of South Hinksey. Most people
ceive their copies by email. We
y to deliver printed copies to
people who don’t have a computer.
However, we don’t always know who
they are. If you know someone who
needs a printed copy, do let us know.
Equally, if you know of any newcomers
who are not on the mailing list, please
em to send an email to add them
to the list. The address